VALDOSTA — Lucía Rodríguez Mota has joined the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts as the Richard Hill Glass Studio Manager and Instructor, effective Jan. 11.
In her new role, Mota will orchestrate and instruct classes in glassblowing and flameworking, as well as various workshops and demos throughout the spring, the Turner Center said in a press release. Under the direction of the executive director and art education administrator, Mota will be responsible for developing engaging experiences in glass art with the beginner in mind, while also creating options for students looking to further advance their skills.
Regular classes will be held in both introductory and sculptural flameworking, in addition to regular one-on-one glassblowing sessions. Mota will also take a leading role in instructing classes for the Turner Center’s Glass Art 101 Academy program, an intergenerational program providing 23 hours of free glass art instruction to 15 students. Glass Art 101 Academy is funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Mota holds an MFA in Studio Art with a Glass Art Concentration from Kent State University. Her work experience includes destinations such as the Chrysler Museum of Art, Hidden Valley Camp, and Pilchuck Glass School. A skilled and experienced flame worker and glassblower, Mota’s work is about grief. Originally from Mexico, she first studied photography and printmaking. After graduation she fell in love with flameworked glass, which first led her to Kent State University. Mota creates organic and delicate abstract work inspired mostly by her family stories of loss. She is an advocate for mental health. Lucía was twice awarded the Young Creators scholarship from the National Fund for Arts and Culture in Mexico. She is eager to learn and grow in her role of Richard Hill Glass Studio Manager and Instructor at the Turner Center for the Arts.
“I am proud of the continued success of the Glass Studio, for its impact on community development, and for the lives that are being enriched through the arts,” said Richard Hill, sponsor of the Richard Hill Glass Studio.
Mota may be reached at glassart@turnercenter.org. For more information about the glass art program and to register for classes, visit turnercenter.org/classes, or contact Art Education Administrator Hailey Rathmann at hrathmann@turnercenter.org or 229.247.2787.